The House by the Mill in the Meadow

The House by the Mill in the Meadow

Down Pech Brae by Calder’s stream,
in autumn is a place so green,
orange, gold and yellow too,
all enhanced by old Milheugh,

The place that Blantyre people know,
as ‘The House by the Mill in the Meadow’
to describe the scene the poets unable,
me thinks t’would need, John Constable.

Fact and fiction in this village abound,
of tales untold of this ancient ground,
wherein this house of old Milheugh,
lived the Millar family everyone knew,

For 400 years they reigned supreme,
Lairds of all this pleasant scene,
notable house guests came there daily,
like Bothwell poetess, Joanna Baillie.

O’er yonder brig lies Malcolmwood,
a farm which straddles this ancient road,
Mary Queen of Scots and her gallant side,
on their way to battle at Langside,

Crossing the Calder at Pattenholm ford,
this unruly warlike horde,
camped yestreen in Dysholm dell,
and drank of the water, from yonder well.

This army under Mary’s command,
were used to living off the land,
partook of Farmer Rochead’s cattle,
to sustain themselves for the morn’s battle,

They ate, drank and made merry,
with pillaged beef and mulled sherry,
before they left and made their way,
to fate and destiny…

This ancient highway that they trod,
‘twas once the old stagecoach road,
thru’ Blantyre from east and west,
with horses changed at the ‘Hoolet’s Nest.’

The Barnhill Tavern its proper name,
is indeed a place of fame,
Blantyre’s oldest Tavern it maybe,
being next to Aggie Bains house of 1563.

‘Twas in this ancient part of town,
the rest o’ Blantir was built around,
a Church stood here in days of yore,
built by Monks from a distant shore.

An Iron Age burial urn was found,
buried ‘neath the marshy ground,
of Archer’s Croft, where men honed their skills,
with bow and arrows with quills.

A man of vision then came here,
and dammed the Clyde at yonder weir,
David Dale used this stream,
for power to drive and fulfil his dream

To build a model village here,
and made houses, school and mills appear,
in Blantyre Works Village, his desire,
then called this new place, Low Blantyre.

James Cornfield 2004

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